


My Immortal

by sas93



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, sas93
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 02:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sas93/pseuds/sas93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the sort of seqaul to my other Katniss/Seneca fan fiction called Unrequited. Seneca Crane has made it to the ruined city of District Thirteen, were the thought of one past tribute, the girl on fire, keeps him going. Set in Catching Fire/Mockingjay</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It had taken him several months to get the rumoured district thirteen. Upon arrival he was wondering the district ruins, when two armed guards had approached him from the side of the justice building. He was escorted underground to the hospital wing where he was treated for dehydration and malnutrition and within a couple of weeks, he was fit and healthy.

The President had asked to meet with him to which he agreed. She was old, but she did not seem as old or as menacing as his former president, he felt like she was there to help.

"You do know that there are many people here who hated the games," she said as she poured them both some tea, "in fact, I'm guessing that they would like to do you some harm."

"What shall I do?" he asked.

"You need to change."

With that, he had spent the day changing his physical appearance quite drastically.

His signature beard has been completely shaven and his hair had been bleached to a blond colour, not that you could tell, it looked perfectly natural.

He was ready to leave the Capitol behind but his name was recognised throughout the people of Panem, including the people of district thirteen. Seneca Crane was too hated because of the things he had done to the tributes of the hunger games.

To them, Seneca Crane had died at the hands of President Snow in the Capitol, shortly after the two tributes had won the in the same year.

He was just Senan, a simple foot soldier. One that did not stand out, one that only spoke when he was spoken too, one that did not say much.

It was the year of the third quarter quell and he would have loved to overlook but he had made his choice.

The president had made his address and he had announced that each district should offer up a past victor, one female and one male and then Caesar Flickerman had a special show to say who he and the majority of the Capitol would like to go back in. Districts one to three were soon overlooked when the topic of Finnick Odair had come up. Of course everyone wanted him back in the games; he was the most favoured victor throughout the games, more favoured than Katniss Everdeen.

Of course she was going back in, he had assumed since it was her idea with the berries, President Snow would not that slide. He could not kill her or her family; no one would by the story of accidental death. This was a much better punishment; force her to go back into the nightmares with no one looking out for her.

"She is the symbol of our rebellion," another foot soldier had explained, "I mean, the song, the berries and everything. She's what the Capitol didn't want to survive; you could say she is like the mockingjay bird."

"Does she know?" He had asked, trying to desperately not sound too interest in the girl on fire.

"No," the same foot soldier said, "She seems intent on playing to the cameras. She's marrying that other guy, her district partner."

He felt like he could not breathe. The thing that had captivated him was her defiance to not play the games that were intended, and here she was bending to their every whim, trying to convince people that she was in love with her fellow victor.

He did not understand how people could fall for it, her district partner Peeta had betrayed her on multiple times and had made her go in life threatening situations so why would she ever agree to marry someone like that?

He just could not understand why she was going for the baker, when here he was. He had risked everything, his life and his past so she could live for her to throw it all away. He thought her resonating light had died out, he hoped that he was wrong and that she would still make that impression that he adored.


	2. Chapter 2

He had decided to not watch her opening ceremonies; he knew that he could not put himself through the look of hurt on her face. She had only been a victor for one year and now she was having it all snatched away from her.

He had heard the comments though, apparently she looked cruel and unforgiving and did not even look at the Capitol crowd, not once, not that he could blame her. Her district partner was also the same, looking cruel and unforgiving not like he had the right, he had loved playing to the crowds.

He had however, stumbled on the interviews. Typical that Finnick Odair had been picked and of course Johanna Mason, the district seven former female victor had also been reaped. It was going to be quite a show he thought as he had settled down in the canteen to watch the games, he was bored after all.

Her interview came shortly after and he thought she looked heartbreaking beautiful the only complaint that he had was that the wedding dress just was not her. It seemed to Capitol focused for Katniss, who probably would have preferred a simpler gown. Once again she twirled around and once again, like the previous year, he was taken aback by her beauty.

She keeps on spinning and in a matter of seconds she is engulfed in flames, only she is not a girl on fire anymore, she is much more. As the fire stops, so does she but her lavish white dress has been turned to the colour of coal with the tiny feathers that make up her dress. She lifts her arms up and the camera clearly captures her wings.

"That is our mockingjay people!" President Coin buzzes as she enters the room.

She is the symbol of our rebellion and now it is official. This public stand will not go unpunished but President Snow cannot touch Katniss or her family. No, he will go to the next best thing, her stylist. She finishes her interview with the people and him, begging for more and her district tribute, and apparently fiancé is next.

Once again he uses the shock technique and his words captivate the audience. He says who both Katniss and he are already married and the camera cuts to her. She blushes slightly and looks down with her expressionless face. The same face she wore when Peeta had announced his love for her in the previous year. Only this time it is a bit more serious.

"Because of the baby," Peeta says with a bitter tone.

His heart literally stopped and then sank when the realisation had sunk in. Maybe she was in love with him or maybe he was the one she could rely on to pull her from the nightmares of the games. The camera had cut to show her blushing again and then she looks down again. He smiled to himself, the boy of fire was lying and it was her that had gave him away, just like last year. She had refused to look at the camera, with that slight hint of red in her cheeks when he had announced his love for but granted, anyone would be fooled apart from him. He had seen the unfinished, uncut family interviews where her only friend seemed to be Gale Hawthorne, the attractive son of one of the dead miners. It was his interview that would have told the people what a great show Peeta Mellark was playing since he had not even spoke to Katniss and same the other way around. He had also gone on to mention that Katniss had never mentioned Peeta to him and that Peeta was too busy with the girls from the main town rather than a penniless girl from the Seam. Of course, the Capitol editors were fantastic and had made him say that how pleased he was for her. But that was it, that was the giveaway the proved her not to be expecting, or eager to become her district partners bride.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the seventy-fifth hunger games begin!" Claudius Templesmith's voice booms all around the arena and he can see that this arena was not meant for a girl on fire, quite the opposite, it was meant for the striking Finnick Odair, the most desired victor, even more desirable than Katniss herself.

It was clear that she had been playing it differently this year; he could see that she was more vicious and cunning while her district partner seemed to be playing the vulnerable type. He laughed at this, the one man that was willing to betray her now had a change of heart.

The moment that had shocked him the most was when Finnick had carried Peeta all the way to safety, away from the fog, while Katniss did not even hestitate to let her ally, Mags, fall to the ground. He did not like this side of her, the Capitol side. The side that had been through so much, but was willing to let everything she stood for go away. She refused to play his games last year which almost resulted in his death and now she just seemed to be a pawn on President Snow's chess board.

"How will she be our mockingjay when the possibility of her death will come in a matter of days?" he asked President Coin.

"Calm down Seneca," she said as he winced at his old name, "we have a plan and it will be put in motion in a matter of hours."

He waited in his room over the next couple of days, waiting for some news, any news, of this plan that would secure them the safety of their mockingjay. He was doubtful, yes, but he could not live with the possibility that his girl on fire would be dead in a couple of days.

"She's here!" A voice screamed from the hallway, "Our mockingjay is here!"

He ran to the hospital, the first place that they would have taken her to try and heal any wounds that the games would have caused. She lay there on the bed motionless. She looked so peaceful sleeping, just like she did the last time he had seen her face to face. She started to move, to wake and he walked in but soon stopped in his tracks.

"Katniss," the boy from her district, Gale, had said holding her hand, "there is no district twelve."

She started to burst out crying and he wished he could have comforted her but her friend was there for her.

"Can I help you?" Gale asks.

"No," he stumbles, "I just wanted to know if Miss Everdeen would like something to eat."

She looked right at him and for a second a hint of recognition was in her eyes but then it was gone as she threw herself into her friends arms.


	3. Chapter 3

He was making his usual rounds, just like he normally did around three o'clock on a Wednesday morning, just to do the usual things like to check that everyone has their schedules or that they are all in doors for curfew and not sneaking extra resources out like food. That is when he came across room twenty three. It was the room that Katniss had shared with her family and it was his turn to make sure that the Everdeen family had their schedules, but she wasn't there.

He quickly gave the other two Everdeen's their schedule and then went looking for her. He heard someone crying from down the hall but there were no rooms assigned to anyone down there, it was just supply rooms. He got his baton at the ready and when he opened the supply closet door ready to punish the delinquent, but as he burst through the doors, he could only see the fragile seventeen year old victor, crying into her hands, muttering something to herself.

"Can I help you ma'am?" He said, putting his baton away.

She just carried on crying and he could feel his heart breaking, just at the sight of her in that much pain. He closed the door behind him and then sat next to her. Her cries were getting worse so he put his arm around her and held her there for an hour till she calmed down.

"Why are you doing this?" She said, still crying softly, only this time it was into his shoulder.

He had to think for minute, why was he doing this? He had his rounds to do but surely Coin would understand, after all, Coin did say that the needs of the Mockingjay must be put first and that is technically what he was doing.

"You're Katniss Everdeen, the girl that is strong enough to bring down the Capitol down with just a handful of berries-"

"Stop," she insisted, "everyone tells me how iconic I am and how I brought down the capitol but it's not down at all! They are fighting!" She shouted, no longer crying, she just seemed angry.

"But there is one key difference that your missing," he said with a slight smile as he placed his finger under her chin and lifted her face up, so she was not looking at him.

"What?" she asked, with big curious grey eyes.

"You have your family but I think the main drive is the nightmares that the games gave to you," he said, slowly moving her dark hair from her face.

He stopped himself. It was not the games that had given her the nightmares, it was him. The games that she was first in was his ideas so his responsibility and seeing her so broken, broke him. For months, nearly a whole year, he had just ignored his old life like that he had left behind, or the nightmares and mental torture that he had inflicted on seventy-two tributes and had made the four victors live in terror that he had gladly gave them, and know he was seeing the devastating after effects. He did have to hand it to the past victors, when the camera's were on they could give one hell of a show, which is why everyone had rooted for Peeta Mellark to be the victor of the seventy-forth games.

"Are you still upset over your, um, fiancé?" he asks, looking intently at her face, looking for the blush that gave her away in the interviews.

"I'm supposed to be in love with him," she says looking at the floor, "but right now, I could not be more confused."


	4. Chapter 4

He watched her closely as she was devastated by the fact that Peeta Mellark was still alive. She sat with her friends, Gale Hawthorne and Haymitch Abernathy around the table in rec room. Her hands cover her mouth and her eyes were wide with shock. He thought that it would be inappropriate to comfort her, not when Coin wanted all of her time either on recovery or on the movement, there was no place for the former game maker, instead he had just stood there, standing at the back of the room looking at her from across the room.

After the broadcast, Katniss had just walked out of the room and everyone had left her to do so. Gale had pulled a worried look at Haymitch while Coin had decided to de-brief everyone. He didn't plan on staying so had walked out after her, only he was much quieter.

He had searched the abandoned air ducts, the janitor's closet and then he walked into the education centre. He slowly opened the supply closet door and had seen her crying again. She looked at him and turned away.

"You don't have to turn away ma'am," he said squeezing into the small, confined space.

She said nothing; she just sat there trying to suppress her whimpers and he offered her a piece of cloth. She accepted it and started to wipe her eyes and then she looked at the fine silk material that he had just given to her. It had the Capitol seal on it, a seal worn only by the President or those in charge of the hunger games.

"Where did you get this?" she asked with a look of both anger and confusion spread across her face.

For a moment he did not know what to say, he forgotten that he still had held onto that piece of old uniform that still linked him to the Capitol. He had thought that he had got rid of every single shred and fibre from the Capitol but it had turned out that it still had some attachment.

"It's mine," he said stammering, "from a long time ago."

Her eyes narrowed and then she wiped away her tears and left him in the supply closet with his piece of silk. He did follow her after ten minutes of trying to figure out what he should do. He just could not bear to think of her being angry at him. As for as she was concerned he was not Seneca Crane, the head game maker of the seventy two, seventy three and seventy forth hunger games. He was just Senan, as President Coin had requested.

He had eventually found her after looking everywhere, the one place he did not think of looking is her room. He knocked and her little sister answered the door.

She seemed to be everything that her big sister wasn't. She was small and depended quite a lot on her sister while Katniss had no one but herself to rely on but he wanted to change that, he wanted to be the one to hold her up when things got a bit too much for her to handle. He wanted to be the one who chased away any fears that she had, he wanted to be the one to hold her hand throughout the coming years but he still did not feel that it was his place.

"Can we help you?" Primrose Everdeen, the young paramedic had asked.

"Is your sister here, I need to speak to her?" he asked with a perky tone and smile to match.

She nodded and opened the door to reveal Katniss sitting alone on her bed muttering something that her psychiatrist had taught to her. Primrose had told her sister that a soldier was here to see her and she nodded as Primrose had left the two adults to talk.

"Who are you?" she asked glumly, "Obviously your from the Capitol so how far up where you?"

"I was pretty high up." He said, keeping his distance by standing in the corner of her room.

"How far up?" She asked with a deadly glare.

He breathed in and said, "I'm not saying just yet. Let's just say I was high enough to regret my actions."

"Is that why you ran away?" She said, sounding a bit more contempt than before.

He didn't say anything, he just nodded.

"I'm hungry," she said standing up, "are you coming?"

"What about your friend, Gale?" he asked, forcing back a smile that was starting to spread across his face.

"He's training and I don't really want to spend my lunch hour with Haymitch. Not when we hardly have any alcohol to give him."

He held the door out for her, which she nearly laughed at. They walked down to the canteen in silence but not out of awkwardness, it was just that no one needed to talk and when they had reached the canteen, he held the door for her again. They had both got their dinner and sat down next to each other, slowly eating what he called 'rations.'

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly as he fussed over his boiled cabbage.

"For what?" she asked, passing him a sachet of salt under the table.

He looked slightly confused at this but then she gestured for him to sprinkle it over his food. He did not think that she would have probably have to live like this, eating awful food that had been boiled down to almost nothing while he was enjoying things like a full roasted pig for himself to eat.

"Intruding the other day, when you were crying." He said avoiding her eyes.

"You weren't intruding," she said bleakly.

"Just so you know," he said with a mouthful off boiled cabbage, "I'm here for you if you just need a break from all of this."

She just laughed at the look that his face was making due to the capacity of the cabbage in his mouth. He laughed with her and for that hour, all they had done was laugh; something that the both of them had not done in a while.


	5. Chapter 5

He knocked lightly at her room door, knowing that both her mother and sister were on duty today, as was her close friend Gale. She answered the door with a smile and had invited him in.

"You said you wanted to see me?" he asked, returning her smile.

"Yeah," she said sitting down at the edge of the bed, "I had something I wanted to tell you."

He sat next to her and offered her a piece of his apple that he had managed to sneak out from his dinner. She took a piece from him and thanked him.

"I'm agreeing to be the mockingjay. Well, tomorrow I am." She said, eyes wide trying to read the expression on his face.

He did not know what to say. Whether he should be happy that they have their symbol of rebellion or hurt that it took another broadcast from her former 'lover' and district partner Peeta Mellark. He avoided looking at her; instead he looked around her standard issue room. He had noticed a few changes, for one he had notice a tatted old book resting on the chest of draws and next to it was a photograph but he could not make out who the couple were. She touched his hand which made him turn to face the girl whose spark he thought had been lost in the burning of district twelve.

"Well? What do you think?" She asks, wrapping her hands around his.

"If you think within your heart that it is a good idea, an idea that without a doubt you could live with, I'll support you." He smiled and squeezed her hand.

There was a brief moment of silence, it was not awkward or uncomfortable, and it was just nice. There was no need for words, no need for actions, the two just sat there smiling at each other. In that brief moment, he realised he wanted more than silence, more than words.

He leaned in closer, tasting her breath on his lips and craved more. He leaned in closer and she did too, he smiled thinking that all this longing was worth the wait but it was his new identity that had not waited, yet this new district thirteen rebel that he had become was getting her so it seemed. Their lips briefly touched when there was another knock at the door.

"Come in," she said quickly moving away to the chest of drawers.

She opened the chest of draws but held her hand out for a couple of extra seconds. He caught the small glint of light coming from whatever she was holding her hand and he recognised it instantly from the replays. It was the pearl that Peeta Mellark had gave to her, joking about their escorts attempt to get them sponsors the first time around. It was this that made his heart stop, the moment that he had realised that she genuinely missed her district partner, and if she missed him did that mean that she loved him? He did wonder where he was to stand in her life, should he be the caring soldier that offers and endless amount of support and just wait at the side lines for everyone to clear out of her life so he can steal a few of those rare moments where it is just him and the girl who was on fire.


	6. Chapter 6

He was scheduled to get up around six in the morning, but he didn't get up till seven, already he was behind his schedule which would not put him in Coin's good books since he had already taken so much of Katniss's time.

He pulled on his shirt and grey pants, the standard issue clothing that all of the district thirteen citizens receive. He had hated them when he had first arrived but he could not afford to stick out, just like Coin had advised, he was a great target, anyone from the Capitol were nowadays since the rebellion had gone public. He did miss the fine materials and food that he was so accustomed too, he was spoilt and he could see that now, being stripped down to the bare essentials. It was a great luxury here that he was allowed the peroxide to dye his hair from dark brown, almost black, to his bottled blond shade. He had hated that idea but Coin had said he had to change everything. This only sprung to mind as he combed his hair to show the thin dark roots coming from his head. He rolled his eyes and shrugged off this vain thought and went straight into duty, only every able bodied person was being called to a meeting, a meeting that had Katniss as one of the spokespersons. They had both avoided each other for a couple of days now, since their slight kiss but it was hard to tell who was to blame so they apparently came up with a silent agreement that they would not bring it up.

He manages to get a good place to view President Coin's address and apparently Katniss's address. He looked forward to the idea of seeing her, he knew she had been out hunting with her friend Gale in the morning but he could not spot her.

Coin made the announcement that in partnership with Katniss agreeing to become the Mockingjay, she naturally had some conditions and the most dramatic one seemed to be that the tributes that were left in the arena would not be punished for crimes against the rebels. President Coin made the warning that if Katniss does refuse her Mockingjay duties, the deal is off and all the tributes and victors, including Katniss, will be punished in terms of death. He followed coins cold glare and had found Katniss in the corner, close by Finnick Odair. As soon as the meeting ended Katniss quickly walked away and he pushed against the crowds in an attempt to follow her. She wasn't hiding any more; she just went up to her upgraded room. She had left the door open and he watched her curl up on her bed. He walked in, watching her breath deeply to herself, trying to stifle the oncoming tears. He moved her hair slowly out of her face when he sat down next to her.

"Stop," she said moving his hands out of the way, "I don't need this. I have enough with Peeta and Gale!"

"You don't have to deal with anything like that," he smiled as she sat up, "want to tell me what is wrong?"

She took another deep breath and said, "First there was the game makers, making me their star and then they snapped and made me scramble over my decisions on trying to fix the whole berry situation. I don't what I can do, something that's still my own actions and not the actions of the girl on fire, the girl who igniting the flames of the rebellion!"

He winced at the mention of game makers; after all he did play a huge part in her first round of the arena.

"Let's go for a quick walk," he said as he gave her a friendly squeeze, "you can show me how the other half live here."

She laughed and he pulled her off her bed and the two walked around the luxury suits in silence which made him think is that what she feels like with her friend Gale. The content few moments in which words are not needed and sometimes not even actions, it was just them two finding each other feeling completely out of place in the corridors of district thirteen. Plutarch Havensbee was walking past them, with his nose buried in a clip board with some ideas and time frames for the mockingjay propaganda shots.

"Morning Miss Everdeen, Morning game maker." He said graciously.

Her head snapped around to face Seneca. She had thought that he was just a Capitol citizen, sick of the reign of President Snow who had decided to try and brave it in the wilds in an attempt to make it thirteen. He had the name Senan stitched on his clothing and yet she still could not place him anywhere in the Hunger Games history.

"A game maker? That was your rank!" she said, almost shouting.

"Yes I was a game maker but I regret everything that I have ever done!" he said, pulling her to one side.

She had shaken away his touch, "What games did you manage?"

"Katniss, it's not important –"

"Tell me Senan. What games did you manage?"

He did not look at her which gave her exactly the answer that she needed. She turned her face away from him, almost crying at another betrayal, another lie that was forced onto her.

"The seventy-forth," he said, looking down at the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

He had wondered into the dining hall at around twelve in the afternoon, alone, looking for Katniss in hopes that she might give him a chance to explain himself. He still did not know what to say to her, she had been so angry, so hurt at the revelation of his past.

She had guessed that he was a game maker but still did not that he was in fact the most important man in the hunger games, he was the head game maker who had overall say on what nightmares to inflict on the twenty-four tributes. He had thought that the fact that she had assumed that he was just a game maker, and not the head game maker gave him some sense of relief.

He had skimmed the area of the dining hall and when had found the table that was assigned to the Everdeen family and their friends and had found the strangest three new faces.

Her prep team had been forcefully pulled out of the Capitol when Katniss had blew up the arena but they had been imprisoned for stealing food and disobeying orders. He remembers them, but not to prominently. He had employed them for the seventy-third games first and as a starting point, he had given them district twelve, hoping that they would soon outgrow that lower district but they were not given that much time.

She looked over at him and for a moment, he swears that he had seen her raise her hand slightly, as if to wave, but it soon went back down to the table that was not filling up pretty fast. He gave her a little wave but sat five tables away from her, still her line of sight. She left half an hour later for a meeting that only certain people were invited too, and he was not one of them.

About three hours later, he was at the training centre, working on his aim and upper body strength when Katniss had walked in, hair pulled back to her normal braid. She had been running on the track a little bit which made him smile. He thought of her time in the training centre, where she avoided nearly every weaponry station and tried to learn the basic survival skills like knot tying or just how to recognise certain plants. She obviously was not doing that now, now she was working on her stamina and her aim because when her aim with bullets came into consideration, she was not nearly as skilled as she was with firearms than with her bow and arrows.

When she had finished with the shooting range, he sat off in the distance having a ten minute break when she had started working n her upper body strength by using some weights. She was struggling a bit and no one had seemed to want to help her, so he made his way over, slowly. When he had reached her, he tapped her on the shoulder with a gentle smile.

"Need any help?" he asked.

She nodded her head and then he was helping her lift the weights, showing her some techniques on how to improve her stamina and strength. They had been doing this for about half an hour when she had taken her grey jacket off. He looked at her arm and had seen a rather ugly scar that the district seven tribute Johanna Mason had gave to her when taking her tracker out. She had caught him looking at had covered the scar with her jacket, even though her body was sweating.

"It's okay," he smiled slowly taking her jacket off, "you don't have to hide it."

"Are you kidding, look at it? It's awful." She said, covering the scar with her hand.

He moved the jacket to the other side and gently picked up the hand that was covering the scar.

"You've been through a lot. That scar is a reminder of everything that you have been through, what I've put you through." He said with a deep sigh.

"I don't blame you."

His smile could not have got any wider when she had said this to him but he still could not push the feeling of guilt of the mental and physical scars that she now had to bare. He offered her some more help but she seemed too tired so that had both decided to get some water but by the time they had settled down, they were the only ones in the training centre.

"So you were a game maker?" She asked in between sips of water.

He nodded his head, forcing himself to look at her, knowing that if he didn't look at her, it might offend her.

"Are you ever going to tell me how important you were?" she asked again, leaning closer to him.

"You'd hate me for it." He says whispering as he can; once again, tasting the breath on his lips only this time it was not him leading it, it was her.

Her lips finally touched his and he could feel the passion, the longing that they both felt. They were in the large training centre alone and technically making out on the work bench, where he was moving his hands all over her and she was doing the same. With the heavy breathing, the two were so immersed in each other that they did not hear someone come running in.

"Katniss," a blond haired girl shouted.

The two snapped their heads up at her, to see her panting from all the running that she had done. His hands where all over her but that was not what the girl looked so worried about.

"Delly? Whats wrong?" Katniss asked, still holding onto his chest.

"Peeta," she gasped, "he's here, in district thirteen."


	8. Chapter 8

He ran down the hall after her, watching for any signs of doubt that had previously shown in the games, but when she had turned to face him he could not see the red in her cheeks and like her usual tell, her face was not looking down.

He stopped in that moment, watching her and then watching the district four victors Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta return to one another with a romantic embrace. He felt a sudden hint of jealousy as he watched the pair hold each other and all he wanted to do is just to wrap his arms around Katniss. She was looking up at the two lovers as well but it was when Boggs had gestured to the room at the end of the hall, she snapped back.

She walked slowly and stopped briefly at the door. He went to follow her but Boggs had held him back by his arm. He had tried to pull it away but his grip was too tight.

"Know your place soldier," he said in an authoritative tone.

"I do know it sergeant," he said finally pulling away and following her to the door.

When he had reached her, she was just standing still. He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned the moment she had felt his touch.

"I'm sorry," she said with her eyes so wide with tears forming.

He pulled her into his chest and kissed her forehead. She was there, buried in his chest for about for another two minutes before someone had dramatically coughed. It was her friend, no, her best friend Gale Hawthorne and he were watching everything that they were doing but he really could not care what Gale Hawthorne had thought.

"Go and see him," he whispered to her and kissed her again, "you've missed him."

She walked into the room, leaving the two men that without a doubt would give up everything so long as she would not suffer at all. Gale did not seem to like a lot of people and right now, he seemed to be among the many that the district twelve saviour had instantly hated. Gale had glared at Seneca with so much detest in his eyes, he had to look away.

"What's going on with you and her?" Gale asked with a constant scowl.

"Nothing, she needs a friend." He said with a arrogant smile spreading across his face.

The arrogant smile is what Gale hated and since Boggs really didn't care what happened to him, he had no trouble with one of his squad pushing him up against the wall and then holding him up by pressing on his air waves. He did not lose face the whole time; he still smiled just to spite.

"You're not her friend, you were not there when her own father was blown to bits, or when she was begging for people to buy old clothes so that she could try and buy a meagre food supply! I was, we helped each other, we depended on each other and now first the baker comes in forcing her hand and now you. You're here to what try and get some action, what did the capitol deprive you of that? Leave her alone, she isn't any of your concern!" Gale shouted as his grip had gotten ever so tighter around his neck.

"Let go of me," he said squirming through Gale's fingers, "you really think that she would want you to do this, do you not think that she has been through enough?"

Gale let him go, but still kept a constant glare on him while Boggs just chuckled to himself. After a while, there was no noise and Gale was called downstairs, to help Betee with some special weaponry that he was not supposed to know about. That's when he had heard it, the rather loud bang from inside Peeta's room and then shouting.

"You're a mutt!" Peeta screamed from inside the room.

Boggs quickly stood up and ran for the door but he was closest to it.

He could see him trying to squeeze the life out of her as she was begging him to remember her, to remember the bread whatever that meant. The tears were flooding down her cheeks and yet the boy who was deeply devoted to Katniss did nothing, did not even hesitate, he just had this vacant look in his eyes.

He ran up to her and pulled the past victor off of her and as soon as she was released, she sunk to the floor, covering her face from the whole world. Peeta still tried to get at her by ways of punching right in the jaw which left him a bit hazy but he still could not bear the thought of someone so close to her, hurting her like that. Peeta made a run for her again when it was his turn to punch him only this time he had returned the favour by attacking his ribs which had sent the district twelve victor falling back,

"Don't you dare touch her!" He screamed at the damaged boy on the floor.

Peeta pulled himself up and had tried to get past Boggs, and at this moment, he was glad that Boggs was there, acting as a barrier between the two former star crossed lovers, knocking the now apparent mentally disturbed victor.

She was crying and her breaths were becoming shorter and shorter, that was when he had wrapped his arms around her, cradling her, holding her tight trying to fight any fears that she had right now but knowing that he was not enough no one right now ever was, not him or her friend Gale.

Back at the hospital, she was lying there unconscious, battered and bruised. Her little sister was always at her side and he was at her beckon call, fetching water, bandages, just the basic essentials that the little Everdeen girl needed to care for her sister.

"You care for her, don't you?" she asks three days after the incident.

"A lot of people do ma'am," he says as he pours a glass of water.

"But they care about the mockingjay," she says sitting up, "you care about her."

He laughs and sits on one of the chairs, "what makes you think that?"

"She looks at you at the dinner hall. She's curious about you and she's never that curious about anyone. Not unless they have showed that level of interest in her and not the cause. By the way, your hairs turning darker, you might want to bleach your hair again."

"I'm not doing that again," he says looking at his perfectly polished shoes, "I'm not lying anymore."


	9. Chapter 9

There was a slight tap on his door which surprised him a little since he did not really talk to anyone, only Plutarch Havensbee and that was just out of courtesy. He walked over before he fixed his darkening hair and opened the door to find the little Everdeen girl, Primrose.

He welcomed her in and offered her a glass of water which she gratefully took.

"What's on your mind?" he asked as he folded away his clothes.

"She's awake," she said with a soft smile, "you could go and see her if you'd like?"

He had to think about this for a moment, although there was nothing else that he wanted to do but see her awake and hopefully well, President Coin had asked that he sits in on a meeting that focused on knowing the ins and outs of the Capitol, so from things like sewer systems to the presidential home that housed there number one target; President Snow. He would love to do nothing more and skip the meeting and tend to her every need but he knew that the punishment for missing this meeting would be harsh and he did not want to risk the wrath of President Coin.

"I can't go," he said stopping momentarily.

"I know," she said getting up, "I just thought that you might have liked to know."

There was a slight noise from outside the door and when he opened it, he had seen probably the world's most repulsive cat but the little girl seemed to dote on him, picking the cat up and stroking it. He went to stroke it but the thing just hissed at him, to which he just smiled at Primrose. She just smiled and told him that she was needed in the infirmary in ten minutes so he let her go.

As soon as the little girl left, he combed his hair and put on his uniform and made his way to the main meeting room, which had never, seemed to be unoccupied these days.

Upon arrival, he was greeted by Plutarch who asked him how he was adjusting. He replied with the same response; it's not the capitol but he knows that he is better off here. Coin had told them to sit down and then ask for any information on the streets of the Capitol, both the upper class part whose occupants mostly consisted of President Snow, his family and the majority of the higher ranking game makers. The lower part of the capitol he could not provide any information as he had always avoided that part.

"What about the Presidents mansion?" Coin asked Plutarch who was unable to reply since he had been there only five times.

She turned to Seneca and had asked the same question.

"I was a frequent guest," he said, "but there were rooms that I was not allowed in as to be expected but the President does spend all of this free time in his rose garden, he has a taste for them you see. Anyway, that was where he would take our meetings when I was game maker so that's where he probably takes the low priority meetings. He never had meetings earlier than twelve; he likes to have family time during the morning and then his lunch that he eats in his main office."

It was the first time that he had seen Coin actually smile, no one had been in President Snow's mansion and been able to give that much detail to his schedule, but once you have been the head game maker for three years, you tend to pick up some things . Plutarch had looked pleased himself; finally the risk he took was paying off.

He could never come up with the thanks that he had owed Plutarch for getting him out of President Snow's mansion and to the safety of District Thirteen. He had never understood this strange action but now he did. He had spent days in the President's mansion and weeks in intense meetings about the progress and arena plans for the Hunger Games, to make sure that the entertainment value was met, so he was their map to the President's home.

"That's decided," Coin said, "Seneca, sorry Senan, will join our 451 squad to the Capitol when they are ready to go. You'll have to double your training."

When he was allowed to leave, he rushed to the hospital to find Katniss and had seen her playing cards with her little sister. They both looked up at him and it was Primrose who had invited him to join them, to which Katniss blushed a little when he accepted.

The girls spoke about their day and he just sat their smiling until their mother, Head Nurse Everdeen came through the doors to check on Katniss's vitals. All of the vitals were good and Primrose was asked to join her mother in the other wing of the infirmary which she soon did before hugging her sister goodbye.

"Prim tells me that you had a meeting with Coin," she says looking up from her cards.

"Yes, it was just to ask about the Capitol, like where we could attack." He says putting down some cards that seemed to be useless in his hand.

"How would you know where to attack?" she asked, putting all of her cards down.

"I told you," he said quietly, "I was quite high up in the games."


	10. Chapter 10

Cards had become a regular thing with the both of them and occasionally her little sister would join in and the three of them would laugh at how ugly the cat was and it seemed that all the repulsive thing could do was growl and hiss at anyone that was not Primrose.

"Prim, that cat is really vile, you know that right?" Katniss laughed.

"No he's not," Primrose said pulling a face.

Both he and Katniss could not hold back laughing and soon enough Primrose did to.

The girl's mother, head nurse Everdeen had come into the room, only to see how Katniss was doing. After she had finished checking on her daughter, she turned to face him. She looked at him with both a curious and cautious stare but then left quite quickly.

Primrose had decided to play one more round of cards before picking up her cat, Buttercup and then left the room. She offered him to walk down to the training centres and he gladly accepted.

When they had walked down the corridors, the odd district thirteen, or even district twelve citizens would stare at the two of them as they walked very close together and laughed at jokes that were not really that funny.

"So," Katniss said stifling a laugh, "Why did you bleach your hair?"

"I was ordered to," he said "Coin thought that it would make me blend in with everyone but there is only so much peroxide can do right."

"I'm starving, shall we go to the cafeteria?" she asked with a slight smile.

He held the door to the cafeteria open for her, "Can't train on empty stomach now can we?"

They both followed each other closely as they were at the different food stations. They did not offer much of variety in district thirteen, it was mainly boiled down vegetables but since she had been hunting, they did have the occasional rare treat of some fresh meat. To their delight, the kitchens were serving some fresh pig today in the form of bacon and gammon.

Katniss had decided to get the gammon while he had settled on the bacon, savouring every taste. He couldn't remember the last time he had fresh meat, or even his favourite the pig.

"Can I tell you something?" Katniss asked after she had finished eating.

"Sure," he said with a mouthful of bacon.

"I once shot a pig at the game makers during my private training," she said quietly.

"You shot it at them, intending to get them?" he asking, trying to swallow his food but his throat had suddenly become much tighter and he almost chocked on his bacon.

"No," she said with her eyebrows pushed together, "I mean I didn't aim for them but I think that might have been the impression."

"Why did you do it?" he asked pushing his food to one side.

"They ignored me when that score could have been my only chance of winning." She said in a gloomy tone.

"Well I'm sure that they regret it now."

"I don't know about the head game maker."

He stopped looking at the table and finally looked up at her with guarded enthusiasm, she had never mentioned him before, well, not his real identity and here she was, talking about the time that she very first captivated him.

"What about the head game maker? I left before your games ended." He said, looking closely at her.

"He died, well I would say that the odds that President Snow had murdered him or ordered someone to do that would not be in his favour." She said

"I see what you did there," he laughed, "may the odds be ever in his favour."

She got up and moved her tray to the wash pile and then she had put his food back into a bowl, to save for later. Leaving food in district thirteen was not an option and neither of them wanted to cause a scene.

They had walked down to the training centre, and clearly none of them had given any thought to their schedules that was printed on their arms as they were over an hour and a half late for their training. Boggs did not look impressed and Gale just scowled at him from across the room. Gale had shouted Katniss over to help him with a bow and arrow but she had told him to wait, which made Seneca smile a little.

After she had finished talking to him, she had wondered off over to Gale and started showing him some techniques with the bow and arrows. Since he was new to all of this combat training, he had to start with the very baisics which he thought was very tedious. He always hated watching the tributes trying to learn new skills about survival and combat, half of them failed, and the rest either excelled brilliantly or just didn't bother with anything.

After about three long hours of attempting combat and failing miserably, Boggs and settled on the fact that he might be some use with the surviallance team so had suggested that he works with Beetee, the former victor who was a genius when it came to technology, to help him train with the more technology side of the 451 squad.

He looked back at Katniss as he walked away and she gave him a little wave with a small smile. Gale pulled her to one side, trying to get her attention while she watched him walk away.

After an hour with Beetee, there seemed to be hope that he would actually be some help in the star squad rather than just a talking map. Beetee had shown him some of the basics, which included getting live feeds from around block by tapping into the Close Circuit Television or just CCTV as Beetee liked to call it. He was also introduced to the sensors which would help them around their base camps when they actually get into the capitol.

He left the technology centre with a proud smile on his face, as he was more than just a Capitol refugee now, he was part of the team, part of the movement, part of her cause.

He went to open when an arrow shot at his face, just missing him. When he turned to face the shooter he had seen that it was Katniss and she apologized until she dropped everything she was holding.

"Oh my god," she said covering her hand over her mouth, "you were there, at my private training. Your Seneca!"


	11. Chapter 11

"Excuse me?" He said, closing the door behind him, "What did you just say?"

She just stared at him with a blank expression, with her eyes narrowed as she was trying to collect her thoughts. He had to think for a moment, of how she could have finally guessed his true identity. His hair was going back to its original deep black colour, and he was starting to grow his beard again but it was nothing like the previous design that one of the tributes stylists had come up with. No, it couldn't be his appearance. He looked back over to her, and near her side was the other tribute, Peeta.

"Did he tell you that?" He laughed, edging closer to her, "He's mad. The capitol have messed with his memories. You should know that."

"They altered his memories of me, not anyone else. You were there with the pig, but they had told me that you were dead..."

"Katniss," He said putting his hand on her shoulder, "Why would you think I'm the old game maker. My name is Senan."

She went to storm out, with Gale closely following her and as he starred back, he noticed Peeta had attempted to join the two. Boggs had stopped him, saying that his place was not with Katniss yet. Peeta looked disappointed and went back to training to which he had joined. Many of the district thirteen refugees had backed away from him, as if he had some deadly contagious disease. He couldn't take it after an hour so he retreated up to President Coin's office.

He knocked lightly on her door and then one of the guards ushered him in.

"Can I help you?" Coin said in her bitter way.

"They know," He said in an almost stutter, "They know I'm Seneca."

"How were you careless enough to let them find out?" She said with her eyebrows raised.

"The tribute Peeta. He recognised me and told Katniss-"

Coin sighed and put down the documents that she was going over, "You shouldn't have gotten too involved with our mockingjay. She is vital to our cause and with the hijack and her friends tactics on the capitol she is going through a lot. I don't need you interfering. You can go now."

"Its too late," he said at the door, "I'm already involved in her life and I am not changing it."

"You think she wants you romantically Seneca? After everything you have done to her? She may have considered it before today but not anymore. You are out of the picture so I think it is best that you both leave each other alone. I need her level headed. She's leaving for district two tonight, with Peeta. We need people to believe that they are still in love."

"But they never where in love!" he shouted and then Coin's guards came rushing in.

"Everything alright ma'am?" One of the brutish men asked.

She nodded, "Yes, but please take him out; I can't have emotional wrecks in my office."

With that he was literally thrown into his assigned room, with orders stating for him never to come into President Coin's office without written permission from the president herself. He was also given a warning to leave Katniss alone, but he knew that he could not do that. He had to explain, to say why he did it, that he never thought of the lasting effects that the tributes would have when they would return home but each time he practiced this sort of speech in his head, it sounded pathetic and desperate.

He didn't care, not for one moment and as soon as he was sure that Coin's trusted little lapdogs were gone, so was he. He basically ran to the room assigned to the Everdeen family and knocked but as he heard some movement from behind the door he froze. The door opened and it was Primrose again. She smiled at him in a sad way and then gestured for him to come in. As soon as he entered the room, he had seen her sitting there on one of the chairs, gripping the fine silk handkerchief that he had gave to her the first time he had seen her cry.

"I'll leave you too alone." Primrose said, and scooped up Buttercup and left.

Katniss glared at him and looked down at the silk handkerchief, tracing the bright yellow thread that had made up the seal of Panem. She got up and moved over to the chest of drawers, where she had hidden the pearl that Peeta had gave to her in the last arena that she was in. She picked up something and then came to stand near him. She opened her hand and it was the mockingjay pin.

"Is this all I am? The mockingjay, is that why you wanted to get to know me?" She said bleakly.

"Of course not," he said putting his hand on her arm, "I wanted to get to know you since your private training. You were perfect, you didn't care about us, the game makers, or what effects that stunt with the arrow would get you in. You wanted us to notice you, and we did. President Snow wanted me to kill you, to send mutts after you in the first night of the arena if you would make it past the blood bath and I refused. I couldn't bring myself to do it,"

"Why."

"Beacuse they wanted to hurt you by getting to your family. They said you had to be punished but I knew it would be such a waste. You were brave and curagious to do that and I'll admit a little stupid but I admired that. I fought for you to win those games. I wanted to hurt Peeta for betraying you with the careers, I wanted to hold you when the little girl from eleven died and I knew that if you wouldn't get back in the game soon, Cato or Clove would have killed you."

"You should have let them, Peeta might have won instead." She said, still glaring at him.

"I couldn't handle the thought of you dying in those games. I hated Peeta, I still do. He has so easily betrayed in the past that this hijack thing does not surprise me. That's why I made it so two tributes could win. President Snow almost had my head, and I would still be in the Capitol if I hadn't gone to see you at that hospital but I couldn't wait."

"You went to see me at the hospital? But I can't remember..."

"You were asleep and I knew that I had to run soon but I couldn't leave you without saying goodbye, so I kissed you on the forehead and told you that I had to do it, just once. President Snow had seen me, he didn't say anything but I ran, all the way here."

Katniss dropped everything she was holding, the mockingjay pin and the silk handkerchief and kissed him so hard that it made him loose his balance. They both fell to the floor but they mouths never parted, only to take the occasional mouthful of air.


End file.
